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Roving by Remote Control

Now here is something that is sure to impress our readers, as it surely has all of us here at Land Rover Austin in Austin, Texas.

Jaguar Land Rover is now testing a new smartphone app that will allow the driver to tackle the tough terrain all by remote control! The Range Rover Sport steers, accelerates, brakes and makes U-turns while the driver walks alongside it to help it negotiate demanding landscapes as well as those arduous parking spots.

“Getting a car out of a tricky parking maneuver can be a stressful experience for any driver,” Wolfgang Epple, Jaguar Land Rover’s director of research and technology, said in a statement. Features provided by the app demonstrate “how we could use these new technologies to reduce the tedious parts of driving and improve road safety.”

JLR is still testing the system and looking at installing it as a feature starting in about 2020, said Nick O’Donnell, a spokesman.

The remote-control app is controlled via Bluetooth, only usable when the driver is within 30 feet of the car, and the maximum speed will be 4 miles per hour. There are reported plans to move the system over to Wi-Fi for greater range, and a tablet version, which would take advantage of the Range Rover Sport’s surround camera system to provide a live video feed from the bumpers and wheels, is also said to be in the works.

“The same sensors and systems that will help an autonomous car make the right decisions will assist the driver and enhance the experience to help prevent accidents,” Epple said. “Autonomous car technologies will not take away the fun of driving.